Helping Our Children Encounter Poverty and Learn How to Help

What is life like in Haiti after the devastating earthquake that struck the country over ten years ago? What must it be like to live in a typical house in the poorest parts of Guatemala? Are kids able to attend school and if so, what does that really look like? These are just a few of the many questions we have a hard time really understanding simply because of our proximity to the reality of many of these downtrodden areas.

We hear of the hardships and the struggles in impoverished countries, but to really experience them and understand them we would have to travel there and see it with our own eyes. The truth is there is such value in seeing and experiencing the real-life struggles of people across the world for all of us. And not only for us as adults, but particularly so, for our children. I want my children to have a true perspective and depth of understanding of the world around them.

A few weeks ago, my daughter Sophia and I had the opportunity to experience this in a different way. No, we didn't travel (certainly not with COVID!) but instead we sat in my room and watched firsthand the stories of those living in areas such as Haiti, Guatemala, and Nepal. Through the Poverty Encounter Series, we not only learned what it is like to go to school in Haiti but also what it is like to go to school in different parts of the world! A ministry of Children’s Hunger Fund, Poverty Encounter is an incredible organization that opened in 2018 and as of March 2020 had over 12,000 visitors actually encounter these places first-hand at their exhibit in California. But because of COVID they have created a way we can ALL visit these places from our very own living room.

Here is a brief description of Poverty Encounter:

“Poverty Encounter is an interactive, educational, and immersive experience, which will open your eyes to the suffering faced by millions of children around the world every day. Ignite your heart to make a difference, and take action to respond biblically to help those who need it the most.”

 Sophia and I not only loved the videos, but I think the interactive activities to help your child learn are such a great educational tool! After watching the video, Sophia was able to color a page depicting a school she saw and think of some ways she could be praying specifically for Haiti

Here are just a few of the ways Children’s Hunger Fund is ministering to those in need:

• During COVID, Children’s Hunger Fund has been able to provide food and grants for purchasing food in-country to our network of churches all around the world

• Last year, the Poverty Encounter exhibit was 1 of 16 global experiences to earn the Thea Award of Outstanding Achievement; other recipients include The Bible Museum and Star War’s Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland CA

• Poverty Encounter is an initiative of Children's Hunger Fund. To learn more visit www.ChildrensHungerFund.org.

We absolutely loved the Poverty Encounter Online Series and think it is such a valuable tool for teaching our children about poverty across the world. With many of our children learning from home, this is the perfect time to expand their hearts and minds to the world around them.

You can check out all of their series HERE.

XO,

Ruth

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Poverty Encounter and Children’s Hunger Fund. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.